lighthouse
Americannoun
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a tower or other structure displaying or flashing a very bright light for the guidance of ships in avoiding dangerous areas, in following certain routes, etc.
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either of two cylindrical metal towers placed forward on the forecastle of the main deck of a sailing ship, to house the port and starboard running lights.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lighthouse
Explanation
A lighthouse is a building with a warning light that helps boats to navigate safely, especially when it's dark or foggy. Maine is famous for its many lighthouses. Most lighthouses consist of a narrow tower, with a rotating or flashing light at the top, located near the coast. Before the invention of the lighthouse, fires were lit on hillsides to help captains guide their ships, and after permanent ports were built in coastal areas, permanent lighthouses were constructed. These warned sailors of obstacles at sea, rocky coastlines, and harbor entrances — and their designs grew more complex through the 18th century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Bill Green offered to take me out on his boat and show me a cool lighthouse.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
Tourists stroll along the waterfront and gather for shorter excursions - to Isla de los Estados, home to the famous "end of the world" lighthouse, or along the Beagle Channel.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
This makes the system behave like a flashing cosmic lighthouse.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026
A short hike to the beach afforded views of the starkly angular lighthouse known as the Charleston Light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
“Look away from the lighthouse for a minute,” she said.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
“But he was kind of one of the lighthouses of integrity and common sense and spoke truth to power, but also got the powers to speak to one another.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
Struck by the beauty and lore of lighthouses, journalist Hailey Branson-Potts shares her favorites from across the state — and offers tips for getting the best views.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025
By the late 1890s, they were making "lamps for lighthouses" and specialised in aluminium.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024
That image has been the reality for much of the past four months in the Reykjanes Peninsula in southern Iceland, which the country’s tourism website has called a “geological wonder where lighthouses outnumber villages.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
Meanwhile, The Shoe and the lighthouses had become a stop on some of the Nantucket sightseeing tours.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
